Vehicle-tire.



Patented Dec. |27,

C. T. ADAMS.

VEHICLE TIRE.

(Application led Oct. 121 1898.)

(No Model.)

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llNiTnD STATES PATENT Grricn.

CALVIN THAYER ADAMS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

VEHICLE-TIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,684, dated December12, 1899.

Application filed October] 2, 1898.

To all wwnt t 'may concern:

Beit known that I, CALVIN THAYER ADAMS, of the city of New York, in thecounty of New York, in the State of New York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Vehicle- Tires, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to a special construction of elastic tire adaptedto be applied to the rubber tires, pneumatic, cushion, and others, nowin common use on bicycles and other vehicles to prevent the slipping ofthe wheels on Wet and icy pavements, Walks, and paths 5 and it consistsin embedding in the tire in a peculiar manner rivets of peculiarconstruction.

My invention relates to the same subjectmatter as those of my patents ofAugust 16, 1898, but differs therefrom in the construction andarrangement of the various parts.

Before the time of my inventions there had been various attempts toaccomplish the same general result; but these have all beenunsuccessful,owingtodefectsinmethod. These various prior constructionshave been expensive and commonly injurious to the material. They havebeen suggested with pins, studs, tacks, or spikes secured to the tireand protruding therefrom a substantial distance to engage with thepath-or road. Vhere the surface is soft, these would bite into it and soretard the progress of the vehicle. Where hard, they would be pressed toone side, broken, and destroyed and often tearing or wearing the rubberor fabric by the leverage of the shank or head. Such tacks have beenshown both straight and tapered. lVhere the straight are forced throughthe fabric, they injure it by breaking or tearing the threads. lVheretapering and sufficiently sharp, they might be forced through Withoutinjuring the fabric; but the threads will not engage with the taperingtack with sufficient force to hold it in place. Another objection tosuch constructions is that these tacks or spikes were provided with ahead or other form of inner or outer liange-sometimes bothso large thatin the aggregate they covered a considerable portion of the inner andouter surface of the tire with metal, as with a coat of mail, the resultbeing that the tire is stipared and after it is in use.

Serial No. 693,273. (No model.)

ened and its resiliency seriously affected. In my experiments, extendingover a number of years and covering all types of prior constructions, Ihave observed these disadvan tages and have discovered that for asuccessful antislipping device it is necessary to use small rivets soembedded and held by the fabric of the tire that they will move with itand not slip therein or be forced inwardly therefrom. These rivetsshould have small thin heads resting in close contact with the innerface of the tire or supplementary tread-strip and with blunt pointsextending outwardly and lying substantially liush with the outer surfaceof the tire or protruding as little as possible therefrom, so that givena sufficient number of rivets to prevent slipping the minimum of boththe inner and outer surfaces of the tire ,is covered or studded withmetal. It is of great importance that the rivets should be so firmlyheld in the fabric as to maintain their position therein without the useof cement, dto., both while the tire is being pre- If the rivets can beheld by the pressure of the libers of the fabric between which they areinserted without breaking any of them, they become almost integral withthe fabric and do not interfere With its resiliency. They move with itinstead of being pushed out from it by the pressure of the roadway. Thisof course is a sin@ qua non, for any antislipping or puncture-proofdevice which at all diminishes the elasticity of the tire cannot beused. This grip of the fibers is-produced by forcing them away laterallyfrom the rivet when it is inserted. Without this, as in case of ordinarytapering tacks or rivets inserted through holes cut for them, therewould be no grip or lateral pressure thereon and they would be forcedinwardly in riding, as in case of a soft inner tire. My presentinvention, embodying all these advantages, is constructed as follows: Itake a strip of combined fabric and vvulcanized rubber compound which is-suitable for the tread of the tire of length suiiicient entirely toencircle the pneumatic tire and of width sufficient to cover its treadportion and insert in it a sufficient number of small rivets having moreor less tapering Shanks and sharpened points which may be done bycertain machines. These rivets are ICO inserted with their heads forcedagainst one surface of the strip, which is to be the inner, and theirpoints protruding outwardly beyond the outer surface. These points arethen cut off close to the surface of the strip. They are then subjectedto considerable longitudinal pressure, which may be applied by roller,hammer, or other desirable means, a firm support being given to theirheads on the back, by which the shanks are shortened and thickened withsubstantial uniformity from end to end, the outer point being blunt, butexpanded or upset little, if any, by this pressure and slightly embeddedin the outer surface of the fabric. By this means the rivets are rmlygripped in the ber, becoming almost an integral part thereof, at leastso that they do not interfere with its resiliency. The tread-strip isthen secured to the tread of the tire by cement, lacing, or in any otherdesirable way, it being understood that cement is not necessary for thepurpose of retaining the rivets in their positions.

lVhile I prefer to secure the rivets in the tire or supplementary stripin the manner just described, yet substantially the same result may beaccomplished by a slightly-different construction, by which the rivetswill be held with sufficient firmness for ordinary use. I use a rivethaving the portion of its shank neXt the head straight for a lengthabout equal to the thickness of the fabric and an elongated sharp pointextending therefrom. When this is inserted in the fabric, the taperingpoint presses aside and compresses the threads, so that they engage thestraight portion of the shank with considerable force, it beingunderstood that they will not grip sufficiently, but will slip on thetapering tack. This being done, the tapering point is cut olf, leavingthe blunt end of the straight portion of the shank about iiush with theouter surface of the tire.

I have described my invention as applied to a supplementary tread-strip.It may be used with either single-tube or double-tube tires, and whichon the whole I consider preferable; but it must be understood that myinvention may be applied to double-tube tires without the supplementarystrip, the rivets being inserted through the outer tube, their heads inclose contact with the inner surface thereof and the thin inner tubeexpanded against them without danger of injury thereto.

I have thus carefully described my invention; but from the accompanyingdrawings, in which the particular parts are pointed out by the samereference-numerals in the various figures, it will be more clearlyunderstood.

Figure I is a longitudinal section of a portion of a single-tube tireprovided with a supplementary strip constructed according to myinvention. Fig. Il is a cross-section of the same. Fig. III is acorresponding cross-secouter shoe of a double-tube tire.

and V are diagrams showing, respectively, a rivet inserted in the fabricbefore and after longitudinal compression. Figs. VI, VII, and VIII showa rivet in the three conditionswhen first inserted, after the point hasbeen cut o, and after it has been longitudinally compressed. Figs. IXand X illustrate the described modification in which a rivet has theupper portion of its shank straight and the lower portion tapering,these gures showing the rivet in the two conditions before and after thetapering point has been cut o.

In the figures, l indicates the main tube of the tire, and 2 thesupplementary strip, in which are inserted the rivets 3, having smallflat thin heads 4 and sharp tapering Shanks 5, as shown in Fig. VI,which when cut 0E, as shown in Fig. VII, and compressed assume the formshown in Fig. VIII. In Fig. III, showing a double-tube tire, the inneror air tube is indicated by 6. In Figs. IX and X the straight portion ofthe shanks is indicated by 7 and the tapering portion by 8.

My invention is especially adapted for use Y with pneumatic tires whichare now in genf eral use on bicycles; but it may be used on cushioned orhard-rubber tires or, in fact, on those of any other compressiblematerial. While useful in any localities, they are of particularimportance in cities, where the y smooth pavements are particularlyslippery from ice or water and even in dry weather are kept constantlywet by artificial means. Furthermore, there is greater danger to therider in cities, in case he slips, from trolleycars and other heavy anddangerous vehicles, so much so that some device of this sort seemsabsolutely required and has only not come into common use from the factthat all such previous devices either injure the tire or interfere withits resiliency, as aforesaid. It is well adapted to engage with thevarious sorts of stone pavements or with the smoother pavements, whethermade of wood, asphalt, brick, Jac. The blunt point does not stick intothe roadway, no matter of what material constructed; but even in thesmoothest pavements, like asphalt, there are some inequalities, withwhich the side edges of the blunt point engage laterally.

Another advantage of my invention is that it decreases the danger ofpunctures, the rivets protecting the tire and making it tougher toresist punctures when a sharp substance comes in contact with the tireeither on the rivets or between them.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with an elastic tire, a tread strip secured thereto,and inserted therein straight-shanked rivets having small, fiat headsand blunt points, left by cutting off therefrom sharp tapering points,the rivets being held in position by the pressure of the fabric fibersagainst their straight sides,

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this pressure being produced by the forcing of the bers out of theirnormal position by the pressure of the rivets themselves.

2. In a pneumatic or rubber tire, the cornbination of the outer tire ora supplementary fabric strip, studded With rivets having small, flatheads in close contact with the inner surface of the strip and Shanksexpanded by 1ongitndinal pressure, and having blunt points substantiallyHush with the outer surface of the tire.

S. In combination with a rubber tire, the outer tube or a supplementaryfabric strip,

studded With rivets which are inserted through the fabric and thenshortened and 15 expanded by longitudinal compression to eX- ert lateralpressure on the ber of the fabric so as to retain the rivets by thepressure thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 2o signed my name.

CALVIN THAYER ADAMS. [L s] Witnesses:

ROLAND L. JANEs, ALFRED WILKINSON.

